Instrument-housing support.



i. A. HOWE.

INSTRUMENT HOUSING SUPFURT.

APPLECATION FILED FEB. 24. 3916.

1,272,448. Patented July 16, 1918.

INVENTOI? I Jamesfl fiozzfs OZMKCZX.

law/4770mm;

UNITED STATES A NT GFFiiQEG JAMES A. HOWE, or nocnns'rnn, NEW

YORK, ASSIGNOR- TQ TAYLOR INSTRUMENT COMPANIES, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, ,A, OORPORATIQN OF NEVI YORK.

INSTRUMENT-HOUSING- SUPPORT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 16, 1918.

Application filed February 24, 1916. Serial No. 80,281.

My invention has'to' do with housings or casings such as are used to receive the working parts of small. clocks, barometers and' similar mechanisms, and it has for its object the provision of adjustable supports or legs that can be employed when the device is to be rested on a table or horizontal support and which can be folded out of the way and within the housing, so asnot to detract from I the appearance ofv the latter, when it is suspended from a wall or vertical support.

More particularly, the invention resides in a readily adjustable construction that can be applied to a housing of the general character mentioned at no great additional cost, affording an arrangement that permits of folding the supports out of the way, within the housing, when the structure is suspended, at the same time making it possible to easily move the supporting legs into operative position when desirable to rest the instrument on a table or other base. To these and other ends the invention consists in certain improvements and combinations of parts all as will be hereinafter more fully described, the novel features being pointed out in the claims at the end of the specification.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a rear elevation of a barometer housing showing the application of my improvements to the same;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation;

Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view;

Fig. 4; is a sectional view on line a -4 of Fig. 3, and

Fig. 5 is a sectional view on line 55 of Fig. 1.

Similar reference characters throughout the several views indicate the same parts.

\ The invention may be adapted in practical form in a variety of ways, while having in view the general purpose to be atm ned and in the p sent embodiment I have shown by way of illustration, a barometer casing, this being an instrument that is frequently located on a wall or other vertical support from which it is suspended, while in some instances it is desirable to arrange it on a table or similar horizontal support, un der which conditions it is necessary to provide supporting legs, since in the vast majority of these structures the housing is generally of annular formation.

In the structure disclosed, the housing comprises a back or rear wall 1 which is circular and connected to an annular portion including a bottom wall 2 which presents a cylindrical outer surface and is provided with a slot or opening terminating at the points designated by 3 as shown in Fig. l. Adjustably arranged within the housing are the supporting legs which are movable through the opening in the bottom wall of the housing into and out of operative posi tion, and adapted tov be retained substan tially within the housing when not in use. With this general purpose in view, 1 cmploy a pair of supporting legs, each of which is designated generally by %f and is pivoted on a bearing 5 secured to the rear wall 1, The legs a ar movable within the slot or opening aforementioned, which latter preferably arranged adjacent to the rear wall as shown clearly in Fig. 5, and this arrangement provioes a very strong and ef ficient, while at the same time economical structure, although other arrangements might be had which would more or less successfully carry out the underlying purpose of my improvement. The outer edge of each of the supporting legs e is curved as shown at 6 to conform to the curvature of the bottom wall of the housing when the supporting leg is out of operative position in the manner shown in Fig. 4, thereby alfording to all intents and purposes, a continuation of the housing, presenting a pleasing appearance and also preventing access of dust and moisture to the interior of the housing. It is also desirable that the slot or opening in the housing be practically filled when the supporting legs are not in use and for the carrying out of this feature of the invention, the supporting legs 4 are each arovided with a tail piece or rear extension which projects to the end of the slot or opening when the supporting leg is out of use as indicated in Fig. 4, and in the form shown, the supporting legs are extended toward each other sufficiently to bring their adjacent ends into' juxtaposition when swung inwardly cinzthe mannen shown in Fig. 4. OutWard anovement of the supporting legs is limited by their outer edges 6 coming intoeng'agement With theends of the slot as shown in'Fig. 1,

Jwhileltheir inward. movement is limited-by projections or lugs 8rn hioli engage outer surface of the bottom wall at a point ad abent to the slot 0 ?.,-Qpcn1ng inthe omanner Q-shown in Fig. 3. fTlie l'ugs '8 alsohserre as a fmjeans. Q for w engaging the I supporting legs i t vs in, order to noye them to their operat ve or or1teifpositions.

' a ring or loop foxy suspendnigthe housngon a Wall or ert cal support, in which tfevent the, supportinglogs fare. adjusted inl yard'ly of the housingrwithinfthe -slot or opening to th'e iposition ,sho vn in gFigs. 3 and, 4:, entirely'Iclosing.thevopening and affording an unobstructed v eXterior for the curved bottomQWall of the: housing. JVhen the 'device is to. be supported, on a table or horiaontalf base, the f supporting, i are grasped by means o-fthe lugs, on projections 8 and pulled outwardly to'jt'he-lin iit oftheir outward movements, assuming the position shown in F gs; 1 and 2 andihQEeby afi'ording means for supporting the housing atotwo un ise edge ot tlie earnvall and provided With a slot, a pair of supporting legs pivoted to said rear Wall and extending nto S' lflfl'SlOi) r-fl' egeut ll i' Qs ti bq o ewal and MBEQ=I $i 1Z w rd zeru gi t -leg e mn fifi I outer "ends, o f-. the, slot to support; the cas ng.

2 In arhousi ng for a barometer oig the llke,the comb natlonaw th a gean; Wall oi circular fo gni a substantially oylindrlqal bottonr yall secured to the outer edge of the. rear, v a-ll and providedw th a slot adjacentlthe sa d; aItQWalL; a,.;pair of s r portingilegspiyotedlto the"rear wall and ted tov substantially {close-v slot vhen in: retracted po itio .and. means tor. ithwitnessest J I H; fie -swam i I --1 Bss e i -i fi esse '7 V Jensen. Hows.

nblieseiee tot fifime uw amen" 

